Resources

Resources for schools & groups, kids & families and adults.

Includes activities, online learning programs, games, school resources, fact sheets and more. Some learning resources require the Adobe Flash Player which can be downloaded from www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer.

Some of these resources are specific to your museum visit experience. Please be aware that exhibition content may change and some elements of these resources may not apply at the time of your visit. If possible, we recommend a preliminary visit for School or Group visit co-ordinators, to inform your planning.

Have you ever wondered why jellyfish have a powerful sting? In this resource you will learn about a jellyfish’s amazing stinging cells. You will also view microscope images of a jellyfish tentacle, showing these cells magnified hundreds of times!

Learn about classification by taking a trip to the beach! In this activity students use a dichotomous key to identify common Queensland seashells, and learn about the organisms that make shells. To complete this activity, teachers either need to borrow an Invertebrate Classification loans kit from the Queensland Museum, or download the associated shell flashcards, available on this website. More details, and links to the flashcards, can be found on page 2 of this document.

Torres Strait Islanders
Indigenous to the Torres Strait, the Islanders have a unique origin, history and way of life. Their art and culture differs from that of Aboriginal Australians.
The Torres Strait Islanders are not one amorphous culture: practices, beliefs, clothing and objects vary between Eastern and Western areas.
The two main languages spoken are Meriam Mir in the east and Kala Lagaw Ya to the west.

Resource List

This is one of the educational resources from Queensland Museum’s online learning resource, Dinosaurs, Climate Change and Biodiversity. The aim is to infer from fossils, the changes in populations and habitats over time. Changes over time at the Mt Etna site, near Rockhampton, are examined.

Adaptations Teaching Unit (1336 KB) [Australian Curriculum] Teacher Notes and Student worksheets, units and lesson plansThis unit focuses on the adaptations of organisms and is linked to the Australian Science Curriculum. It covers a term teaching unit with lesson plans, student worksheets, and assessment instruments.

Animal Survivor - Student notes (410 KB) Student's notesStudents analyse an animal to relate its features to its survival success in the current environmental conditions. Students then make predictions about how the animal may survive if conditions were to change. Finally, students suggest some features of the animal that may make it better equipped to survive in its habitat.

Animal Survivor - Teacher notes (1645 KB) Teacher's notesTeacher’s notes to guiding students to relate an animal’s features to its survival success in the current environmental conditions. Students then make predictions about how the animal may survive if conditions were to change. Finally, students suggest some features of the animal that may make it better equipped to survive in its habitat.

Asian House Geckos (251 KB) Fact SheetPeople in Brisbane, other parts of eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales are fast discovering a new, noisier house gecko lodging in their homes. The distinctive, clicking, 'chuck, chuck, chuck…' of the Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus), has rapidly become part of the urban soundscape.

Assassin Bugs (244 KB) Fact SheetAssassin bugs (the large family Reduviidae) are predatory and feed on the body juices of other animals, mainly other insects. These are called assassin bugs because they hide in ambush for their prey.

Australian Paralysis Tick (269 KB) Fact SheetAlmost all tick bites on people in the humid coastal region of eastern Australia are from the Australian Paralysis Tick (Ixodes holocyclus).

This manual guides the user to setup and enter data on the data collation tool spreadsheet. The manual includes screen shots and explanatory notes on how each data sheet is used. There is a troubleshooting guide for each sheet.

This guide provides teachers with an outline on how to construct biodiversity assessments of sites in the school area. A case study example is used to help guide the process. There are also detailed guides on constructing pitfall traps as well as handy tips for identification of insects to order level.

In this ecological study, you will find out what native animals and habitats are found in your schoolyard, and make a digital story about them. The study utilises collection and data analysis methodologies used by Queensland Museum scientists. Associated resources can be found on the Learning Place as the virtual field trip room Wild Backyards. Schools across Queensland are invited to join this project to add to the richness of the data collected.

Bags and Baskets (272 KB) Fact SheetBags and baskets have been used across all Indigenous Australian communities for a variety of purposes.

Bearded and Water Dragons (279 KB) Fact SheetThe Eastern Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii) and the Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata) are conspicuous and familiar residents of Brisbane thanks to their large size and their ability to thrive in home gardens and suburban parks.

This is a 56 page booklet from the online learning resource Biodiscovery and the Great Barrier Reef. It contains activities, structured discussions, investigations, projects, criteria sheets and many more resources.

Bird Beaks and Feet (627 KB) This activity sheet is based on a visit to the Inquiry Centre at Queensland Museum South Bank. Its aim is to investigate the structural features and adaptations of birds that help them to survive in their environment.

Blue and Pink-tongued Skinks (169 KB) Fact SheetBlue and Pink-tongued skinks are among the largest of Australia's skinks (Family Scincidae). They live in close association with people in cities and cleared areas, as well as in bushland. In the Brisbane region, Blue-tongued and Pink-tongued Skinks are common and widespread.

Blue-ringed Octopus (260 KB) Fact SheetBlue-ringed Octopus are normally not aggressive and attack only when provoked. They are, however, the most venomous octopus in the world and the salivary glands of one individual may contain enough venom to paralyse ten men.

Boomerangs (323 KB) Fact SheetA boomerang is a throwing stick used by Australian Aboriginal people primarily for hunting.

Brachiopods (383 KB) Fact SheetBrachiopods are marine organisms which have two shells or valves of different sizes, shape and ornamentation. These valves are hinged together and the animal resembles bivalve molluscs such as clams and oysters.

Brisbane City Council Terrestrial Invertebrate Status Review (7856 KB) The Brisbane City Council (BCC), through its Environment & Parks Branch engaged the services of the Queensland Museum (QM)’s Centre for Biodiversity (QCB) to undertake a comprehensive Terrestrial Invertebrate Status Review (TISR) in the City of Brisbane as part of the Council's Co-operative Biodiversity Research Program.

The Last Days of Burke and Wills – the discoveriesVideoWatch and listen to the recent findings of archaeological fieldwork which recovered a number of artefacts from a remote Queensland site. Is this evidence from the last days of Burke and Wills? Presented as part of the Our Story Your Story talk series at Queensland Museum South Bank.

The Last Days of Burke and Wills – the journeyVideoWatch and listen to the historic journey made by Burke and Wills to cross Australia from south to north. Presented as part of the Our Story Your Story talk series at Queensland Museum South Bank.